Chinese sports brands seek global play

FUZHOU - In the Chinese city of Quanzhou, East China's Fujian province, workers at a garment factory of Kelme are busy stitching and ironing the white and blue jerseys of the Spanish football club Espanyol.

Their goal is to meet the soaring domestic demand boosted by Wu Lei, a Chinese striker who joined the club a month ago. Wu made history by becoming the first Chinese player to score in a La Liga match on March 2, sending his fans into a frenzy.

"Over the last month, we have sold over 10,000 Wu Lei jerseys," said Ke Yongyuan, president of Kelme (China), who owns the Yuanxiang garment company in the sportswear manufacturing hub.